Chapter 644: Grace
'What the heck? Time Loop?' Charles's expression stiffened.
[It's not a 'Time Loop' spell but more likely a Nightmare Loop spell, Host.]
'Nightmare Loop?' Charles also noticed that the Rebirth Domain had already activated and became more serious.
'So, she didn't lie earlier. Tell me more about how this spell works, Genesis.' Charles asked while casting the Chaos Eye spell on the Nightmare Guardian before him, incinerating it completely.
[Unlike the 'Time Loop' spell, both parties will retain their memories upon death and continue respawning at a particular time and place. It will happen until one of their souls gets shattered. Moreover, this spell doesn't twist the time but only creates a realistic illusion-type loop.]
'So unless my soul or the guardian's soul got eradicated, this Nightmare Loop would not end, huh?' Although he could trick his death with the 'Rebirth Domain' spell, Charles felt he needed to do something else.
'My Rebirth Domain spell won't last forever. Two and a half minutes is the best I can maintain.' He decided to go all out.
At that moment, all the Nightmare Guardians started moving away from him and raising their swords.
Charles also realized what they were up to and instantly dashed towards the main building. Although they tried to send sword attacks to intercept him, he cast [Shield of Invulnerability] spells and blocked them easily. At the same time, he cast [Flame Teleportation] spell, disappeared from where he stood before and reappeared at the palace building's entrance gate.
Caught off guard by his sudden appearance, the illusionary Azoth was startled and lifted her sword, preparing to strike at him. However, she became completely still when Charles cast the [Soul Shock] spell, immobilizing her.
Simultaneously, he used the [Chaos Eye] spell, directing his gaze towards her forehead and unleashing a ray of chaotic fire.
Before the illusionary Azoth could fully recover from her dazed state, the chaotic fire had already penetrated her mind, causing it to emit fiery chaos essences in all directions.
A moment later, an explosion erupted at the entrance of the building, creating a wave of powerful vibrations.
Undeterred by the blast, Charles remained focused on the true Azoth, who stood beneath the shelter of the portico. He dashed forward without hesitation.
In an instant, he stood before her, retrieved his Moonfire sword from his storage ring, and enveloped it with a radiant aura resembling sunshine.
"Why are you relying on your sword when you are only an intermediate sword aura user?" She asked curiously and waved her hand.
An invisible ripple-like wave appeared out of nowhere and pushed him away.
'Genesis, activate the 'Time Stop' spell.' Charles ordered.
As he spoke, a powerful wave came from the deepest part of his soul, enveloping the surroundings in a blink.
Everything around Charles, even Azoth, stopped momentarily and froze in time.
An instant later, a reddish rebirth flame appeared around the edges of the Moonfire Scimitar and covered the Intermediate sword aura.
Charles stepped forward and raised his scimitar while aiming at Azoth's chest.
Then, he moved closer toward Azoth, pulled his hand a bit, and thrust the scimitar forward.
Although Azoth managed to nullify the 'Time Stop' effect on her body and mind, it was too late to evade the direct thrust.
The next instant, Charles's Scimitar pierced her chest and appeared on the other side. But what shocked her most was that the strange flame around the scimitar managed to harm her soul form!
Without delay, Charles pulled the sword back as the bluish blood droplets hovered midair and stepped back.
'Genesis, deactivate the 'Time Stop' spell now.' He ordered.
A second later, another invisible ripple came out of his body and spread all over the surrounding areas before nullifying the 'Time Stop' spell.
As bluish blood drenched Azoth's chest and fell in droplets, Charles casually sheathed his sword and returned to his human form with a grin.
"Is this more than enough?"
Meanwhile, Azoth gasped for air while holding her wounded chest and nodded.
"I-I've underestimated you, kid." She said while placing her grip on her sword and suddenly unsheathed it.
At the same time, the wound on her chest suddenly disappeared as if no attack had happened before!
A moment later, a blinding eerie blackish-purple ray came from the sword tip and directly entered Charles's body.
Within a second, countless sword essences started attacking his cells at a molecular level, destroying his body into a puddle of blood, flesh, and bones.
No, those sword essences even entered the Astral Plane and shattered his soul.
"Unfortunately, you are still under the 'Nightmare Look' spell." She said coldly and shook her head in disappointment.
At that moment, the 'Nightmare Loop' also ended, revealing her standing a few feet from where she was.
"Another disappointment-" She was about to sheath her sword and turn around, her purple shrank abruptly.
"Why is his fire domain still there?" She furrowed.
At the same time, the puddle of blood, flesh, and bones started to envelop in crimson flame and disappeared from there.
Two seconds later, a small new reddish flame appeared out of nowhere and hovered at the place where Charles had died before.
Soon, it enlarged and formed into a humanoid figure with two strange horns and a third eye.
A moment later, the humanoid figure started to transform again and formed into an appearance of a blue-haired young man.
Although Charles was almost invincible against Legend Rank Powerhouses, he knew well that he had no chance against this woman.
Not only were her physical attributes high, but even her Dream Related skills were also bizarre.
'Thankfully, my little plan worked.' He couldn't help but take a deep breath to ease away the pain he sensed a while ago.
Meanwhile, a stiff expression appeared on Azoth's face.
She had seen and heard of many bizarre things in her lifetime, but this was the first time she witnessed a human reappearing even after his soul was shattered.
"Who the hell are you?" She couldn't help but ask.
Instead of responding, Charles made a soft grin and spoke.
"I hope you will keep your promise."
A deep sign leaked out of her mouth.
"Of course, take it," She said while sheathing the ancient long sword to the hexagonal symbol engraved sheath and gave it to him.
"But be careful of her temper. She would make the wielder go crazy whenever she got angry and even devour the blood essence."
"She? Is it an Intellectual artifact?"
Charles asked as he caught the sword, pulled it out from the sheath, and inspected it.
[Name: Grace
Title: The Madness Unbound
Rank: Intellectual artifact (???)
Details: The blade was forged by a forgotten Rune Creator named 'Shepherd' eons ago and has been wielded by many hands. But everyone who wielded this blade met with the curse of madness and died mysteriously. Although no one knew how the forgotten Rune Creator Shepherd created this intelligent blade, it is short-tempered and seeks blood whenever it gets hungry. This blade also caused even the Gods to take a step back.
Abilities: ?????, ??????, ???????.]
As Charles was looking at the information, Azoth smiled lightly and spoke with a nod.
"Eons ago, in a time lost to the annals of history, a remarkable blade came into existence. Forged by the skilled hands of a long-forgotten Rune Creator named 'Shepherd,' this weapon emerged from the depths of time itself. It passed through the hands of numerous individuals, each succumbing to a grim fate overshadowed by an insidious curse: madness and enigmatic demise.
The blade's origins remain shrouded in mystery, leaving its creation by Shepherd an enigma for the ages. Yet, its nature reveals itself most disturbingly. This intelligent blade possesses a volatile temperament, its patience dwindling to naught in the face of hunger. When the blade thirsts for blood, an insatiable desire will awaken, compelling it to seek its sanguinary sustenance. Those who dare to brandish the cursed weapon will be at the mercy of its capricious nature. They will tread a treacherous path with every swing, teetering on the precipice of sanity."
"Isn't this a cursed sword?" Charles couldn't help but ask.
Just as he spoke, an ear-piercing noise came out from the blade and caused his eardrum to rupture in a second.
"See, I told you, didn't I? This is just how she communicates. And she's not a cursed sword but an incredibly powerful being who surpasses you and me. The deaths of other powerful individuals weren't completely caused by her but rather because they were too arrogant and lacked sufficient strength." Azoth paused for a moment as she thought of something and turned around.
"After looking after Grace for the past 300,000 years, I've learned she possesses three different abilities. The first one is called Madness Berserk. It temporarily doubles the wielder's spells and innate abilities. However, once the ability wears off, the wielder has to pay the price with their lifespan or risk being consumed by the power of madness."
"The second ability is linked to the sword itself. In simple terms, Grace occasionally shows you her past battles with previous wielders in the form of powerful nightmares. Although this helps you improve your swordsmanship by learning from those experiences, you might become trapped in the nightmare, giving way for Grace to take hold of your body. So, be careful. Also, don't underestimate those sword techniques."
"Finally, the third ability is named 'Void.' I only used it once during the battle against the Chaos God's avatars, and unfortunately, I died at the end of that battle. However, I still remember how I defeated a Low God's avatar with just three swift slashes and even managed to wound the true body of God. But that last ability is more like a double-edged sword. Once you use this ability, your soul will shatter in ten seconds." She paused as she looked at the surrounding flames and added with a strange smile.
"But now that I think about it, your unique rebirth ability might be key to nullifying this side effect."
